The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2015, and October 31, 2016 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2016 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on November 3, 2016, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Felix Mendelssohn's music ushers in most marriages; his sister Fanny's music remains mostly unpublished and unperformed. Yet evidence suggests that she was as talented a composer as he was. Kamen (Edward Lear, 1990, etc.) relies heavily on family letters, whose immediacy offsets the intractable problem of writing about the relative of a famous personage. While her brother toured throughout Europe, Fanny stayed home, longing for letters and continuing to play and compose. Kamen describes in broad strokes the musical, intellectual Mendelssohns, the anti-Semitism that led them to add the name ``Bartholdy'' to their own, and the deep societal pressures that kept Fanny from a professional life in music. Even Felix, who in his early years was a devoted and supportive brother, resisted crediting her work, publishing some of her lieder under his name. While Kamen clearly has An Agenda, it is hard not to ache for the suppression of a clearly radiant talent. The book's epilogue lists biographical information about other women composers/musicians. Dishearteningly, it lacks a discography that could bring the book's audience even closer to Felix and Fanny's music. (b&w illustrations, not seen, glossary, bibliography, index) (Biography. 10-14)

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